DIY Grapevine Balls for Nesting Birds

Nesting birds use a variety of materials to create the perfect place to lay their eggs. You can help attract them to your yard by providing the items they need. This decorative project would make a great gift for a bird-loving mom or grandma on Mother’s Day. It’s easy enough for little hands to help out, so get the kids involved too!

What You Need:

Grapevine Ball, available at your local craft store (about $4 each)

Raffia or twine

Scissors

Pencil or Chopstick

Nesting Materials – Click here for ideas (I used natural cotton, seed heads and clippings from ornamental grass, and Spanish Moss. Be sure to avoid materials that have been treated with chemicals, including dryer lint if you use fabric softener.)

What To Do:

Cut off any tags from the grapevine balls. Using your fingers, force open a small hole in one side of the ball. Push some nesting material inside, using the pencil/chopstick as needed.

Use the pencil/chopstick to push additional materials into the ball through different holes. You can fill the balls as full as you like.

Tie a piece of raffia or twine to the top for hanging, and add a small bow if you like.

That’s it! Now you can hang the balls in a nearby tree, from shepherd’s hook in the yard, or anywhere the birds can find them. You can re-fill them as needed, too. What materials will you put out for your nesting birds this year?

When you posted the idea a few weeks ago of using the suet cage it reminded me that last winter I bought a little heart shaped wire metal box just for this purpose. I found it at a yard sale & thought I might make suet cakes to fit in it but decided to fill it with nesting material instead. I hung it in a tree near a feeder & love it.

I save all my yarn scraps as well as small pieces of quilt fabric and snipped threads in a mason jar. When it’s full, all of it goes into an empty onion bag. I like the grapevine ball better because I have a large grapevine in my backyard!!

I love the idea….I have had zebra Finches and I took some jute rope and cut it in workable sizes for the male to carry to the his love nest. Also try stuffing the material that is used for the bottom of Bunny cages……it comes in great size pieces and is all natural. I live in Florida and you are so right about using Spanish moss……chiggers are no fun so beware there. I’ve had Blue Jays try and take my old mop head apart so I cut up a mop head for them, it was fun watching them going back and forth.

I really like this idea, I have all the things I need in my craft room. I save moss. And collect things in the woods where we live. And have plenty of grape vines . So I will be making some of these ! Thank you

Several years ago, there was an article in your magazine about creating these with suet cages; it also had an idea of attaching a card with instructions if giving as a gift. I have since lost the card. Do you still have that in your archives? The birds LOVE my yarn filled suet cage in the spring!!

I love love this idea. We filled in a swimming pool and planted CA Natives drought tolerant bird, butterfly and bee refuge 4 yrs ago. Organic gardening has filled our yard with hundreds of different songbirds, jays, finches, doves etc. They have stripped my pots of all the moss, twine, string etc and I get tickled watching them because some are very bossy and territorial. I will make several of these and hang them in my pine trees. Thank You..